A sceptic would not believe that a stolen vehicle can be recovered after nearly two decades, but the police however, were up to the task.
The owner of a vehicle reported a theft in Mayville in KwaZulu-Natal in 1997 and the police in the province searched for his property.
Reports of the theft were circulated to all police stations and the local police followed up after a tip-off and spoke to a house owner in Ext 4 in Sakhile who cooperated and said he bought the vehicle from someone else.
Transfer of ownership also occurred with a second buyer and in both cases the necessary documentation could be presented.
The police in Standerton checked the engine number and could establish the registration number via the computer records.
A local towing service transported the vehicle to the Standerton Police Station on 14 February.
The police is KwaZulu-Natal is investigating the theft.
“I have never heard about a case in my entire career where a vehicle is found after so many years,” Sgt Shadrack Ngema of the Sakhile Police said.
